WAVY.COM: Blue Star Survey Open to Military Service Members and their Families

Published: October 6, 2020

NORFOLK, Va. (WAVY) — A national nonprofit organization is seeking input from military members and their families on several important issues, including education, spouse employment and the coronavirus.

Blue Star Families’ annual Military Family Lifestyle Survey is open for active duty and reserve service members, the National Guard, veterans, and their families. The online survey is confidential and takes about 30 minutes to complete. It will be open until Oct. 16.

Blue Star Families was founded in 2009 by military spouses who wanted to create a clearer connection between their life in the service and the civilian communities they lived in. They began Blue Star Families with a small survey, which as grown over the last decade to include input from thousands of service members and their families across all four branches and the National Guard.

“They founded Blue Star Families and they actually started with a survey because if they want to explain what military families are experiencing, the best thing to do is ask them,” said Dr. Jessica Strong, a U.S. Army spouse who works as the organization’s co-director of applied research.

The 2020 Military Family Lifestyle Survey will cover a variety of topics, including child education, spouse employment, the coronavirus, and diversity, equity, and inclusion, Strong said.

“So that we get an understanding about what are the current issues that are facing military families, how do they perceive those issues, what do they see as solutions, and how can we continue the conversation and inform policy makers and decision makers to make change for military families in a positive way,” Strong said.

Direct link:
https://www.wavy.com/news/military/blue-star-survey-open-to-military-service-members-and-their-families/